The course is sponsored by MTOA, but it is definitely patrol focused, not SWAT focused.

The course will be held February 6-8, 2012 in Milwaukee, WI.  Tuition is $465 and class size is limited to 24 officers.  For additional information and full course description, go to the MTOA site.

5.11 VTAC LBE Vest Review

I am not a fan of the bail-out bag.  Neither am I fond of showing up for the party without the proper favors.  As a crossover from SWAT, I really like the idea of a load-bearing vest for emergency patrol operations.

While the concept of the bail-out bag is great, my experience is that carrying the bag and accessing its contents are problematic.  Since the go-bag is worn over one shoulder, it dangles off to one side, normally your non-dominant side.

This can bring it into interference with your duty belt gear opposite your sidearm.  It also makes for a second strap tangling you up and applying opposing pressure to your neck when you have a rifle or shotgun slung to the other side.

A go-bag will ride at your seven or eight o’clock position, especially on the run, so getting things out of it requires added attention.  A load-bearing equipment MOLLE vest I tried from 5.11 Tactical solved these all problems.

I saw some of the 5.11 nylon gear at a local retailer and thought it looked well constructed and reasonably priced.  There were many choices for accessory pouches and carriers to customize a vest.

I ordered a black 5.11 VTAC LBE Vest and then selected the pouches I wanted specifically for a bail-out vest.  This vest will be grabbed out of the trunk and zipped on when the SHTF and more ammo and supplies are needed.

5.11 Tactical partnered with Viking Tactics and retired Special Forces Operator SGM Kyle Lamb in designing their VTAC line of gear, so there is much practical experience going into the products.

The VTAC LBE Vest is made with 1050 denier nylon and is extremely durable.  Quality YKK zippers are used and there is plenty of extra stitching to hold all seams securely.  The vest is hydration pack compatible and has a drag handle.

The MOLLE stitching is robust.  Multiple adjustment points, via buckles and Velcro, assist in a proper vest fit.  There are also Velcro loop areas on the left breast and back for Police or Sheriff identification patches.

The intent for this vest is to be ready to go during the shift.  I’ll be wearing a duty belt with my uniform, so I don’t want to duplicate items I already have on me.

The most important thing to me is more rifle ammunition.  A handgun is fine as personal protection, but a long gun lets you take the fight to the enemy.  I chose a stacked double magazine carrier with covers for holding four AR-15 mags.

All the 5.11 pouches attach securely to MOLLE webbing with 5.11’s Slickstick attachment system.  The Slickstick is stiff and weaves through the MOLLE on the vest easily.  To release, just unsnap and pull the fastener out.

I added just a single pistol magazine carrier, since I still have two mags on my belt.  For general items, I selected a 5.11 6.6 Pouch which measures 6” X 6” X 3 ½.”  That will hold safety glasses, gloves, paracord, a multi-tool, flashlight, combat shears, chalk, a black marker, revolver ammo, pen, and notepad.

For medical gear, I ordered their 6.6 Med Pouch, which is of the same dimensions as the 6.6 Pouch, but ½” thicker.  It has a subdued cross on it to signify medical gear.  Inside, I have a TraumaPak, a Tactical Medical Solutions SOF Tourniquet, and an energy bar.  I mounted this pouch on the left rear of the vest.

I recently reviewed the TraumaPak, which contains QuikClot, nitrile gloves, bandages, dressings, and duct tape.  It is packaged in a thick waterproof pack that doubles as a biohazard bag.

In setting up the vest, I placed the AR and pistol mags on the left front.  For a righty, this is the proper place for expeditious reloads.  At a dead run, I can perform a quick mag change for my rifle from this vest.  This ain’t happening with a bail-out bag swinging around.

An LBE vest spreads the weight of the load evenly across the shoulders.  Placement of the gear is static, so things are always exactly where you know to find them.  Negotiating obstacles is easier because the vest is low profile to the torso.

I could certainly load the VTAC LBE Vest up with more gear, but I think that defeats the purpose of having a vest such as this ready to roll.  I think it has the necessary items to win the fight and take care of business afterward until other assets arrive.

5.11 has a very user-friendly website at www.511tactical.com.  I used the site to view and compare the VTAC vest and accessories.

MSRP for the 5.11 vest and pouches I ordered would be around $160.  A little shopping can whittle that down. Most of the items I put in the vest were ones I had from a previous iteration of a bail-out bag.

Without a doubt, the 5.11 Tactical gear is rugged enough to survive real duty.  The contents of the vest are important, but they won’t be with you in the field if you don’t have a quality carrier.

Randall is a twenty-three year veteran officer of a mid-size Florida police department.  He served as a SWAT team officer for over 21 years, to include 12 years as a Team Leader. He is currently the Midnight Shift K9 Sergeant and department SWAT Coordinator.

If you have paid attention to world events, you know this is not an original incident.  Bombs have been detonated by terrorists around the world for almost as long as we have had explosive technology.  Mass shooting incidents are also not new.

There are a few things about this incident, which are important to consider.

An attack may be the main attack, or it may be a distraction. It is impossible to say at this time what the intent of the terrorist(s) was with the bombing.  However, that attack likely pulled resources toward it.  Officers may have been diverted from other areas to respond to that incident location, which may have reduced the ability to respond to the second attack.

An attack may be bait. Consider that the initial incident may be used as bait to pull in first responders, with a second bomb set to kill public safety workers.  Variations of this technique has been used many times throughout history, but the one I remember most vividly was in 1997.   I was a reserve deputy in the area where this attack occurred, and I watched it live on television.  Eric Rudolph used multiple bombs at an abortion clinic.  The initial detonation drew in first responders and the second detonated after their arrival.

The initial bomb and follow up shooting were completely different styles of attack. With the initial incident being a bomb, what degree of focus shifted for law enforcement to looking for the “wrong” thing?  How many officers unconsciously stopped looking for suspicious people and instead were looking for suspicious packages?  Just because one attack came in a specific method doesn’t mean any additional attacks will resemble it.

For active shooters, fast response is critical. Initial reports indicated the terrorist(s) murder rampage on the island lasted at least 30 minutes.  At the time of this article, more than 80 people are believed to have been killed before police were able to respond and stop him/them.  Several factors contributed to his unchecked ability to kill:

• The location of the incident was an island, slowing a responding SWAT team.
• People on the island were not armed, ensuring they would be victims, not survivors.

Whether the response comes from a police officer or an armed citizen, the only sure way to stop a murderer is by armed intervention.  This means that police officers must be prepared to respond quickly, immediately and alone to engage the shooter and stop the killing.  If backup arrives on scene with you, great.  But if a cover officer is not with you, you must still go and engage the threat right now!

Yes, responding alone is more dangerous, but that’s what we have to do to stop the killing.  If you’re not up for it, I’d suggest you re-evaluate why you are a cop.

These kinds of incidents are a reality.  They can happen in your jurisdiction, in your town.  So, prepare yourself now.

Links

• Mumbai-Style Attacks: Are We Vulnerable?
• Terrorists Targeting Our Children: More Facts for Police Officers
• Terrorists Next Plan: Killing Our Children at School
• Domestic Terrorism – The Threat Is Real
• News from ILEETA 2011: Preparing for a Mumbai- or Beslan-style attack in the United States of America
• Suspects in Terror Case Wanted to Kill Jews, Officials Say
• NYPD: Queens Men Wanted to Attack Synagogues, Kill Jews in Terror Plot
• 2 men accused of buying guns, grenade, plotting to bomb NYC synagogue and kill Jews
• Bailout Bags
• Bail Out Bags – Podcast

NY Terror Plot

NYPD just arrested a pair of men on terrorism charges that you’ve likely never heard about if you live outside of the Big Apple.

Arrested on May 11, the two men plotted to detonate bombs in a Jewish synagogue as part of a “jihad” in retaliation for how Muslim people are treated around the world.  The men also planned to bomb the Empire State building as part of their jihad.

Both men were from the north Africa region: one from Algiers, the other from Morocco.

Oddly, the FBI terrorism task force declined to take on the case, causing many to question what exactly the task force sees as terrorism.

Beslan & Mumbai

I’ve discussed these awful terrorsim attacks previously, and have encouraged patrol officers to be ready for such attacks here in the United States.  These types of attacks are still a very real possibility, and we must prepare for them.

Don’t think it can happen here?  Did you know that two men in Chicago were arrested on terrorism charges that were connected to the Mumbai attack?

Respected law enforcement trainer, Chief Jeff Chudwin spoke at the 2011 International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association on these types of terrorist attacks.  Chief Chudwin stated that when, not if, these attacks happen, it falls on the patrol officer to respond and stop the murder of innocents.

Four essential thoughts were laid out by Chief Chudwin:

• There is likely to be no specific warning in advance
• Failure to immediately and effectively fight will result in slaughter of innocents
• Lack of preparation and training ensures failure
• Lack of command and leadership inspires failure

What Do We Do?

Here’s the deal:  we have to be ready to respond to terrorist incidents in our jurisdictions.  I don’t care how big or small your community is.  Terrorists of all stripes can pick any target to attack.  Taking on a rural high school of 200 students or an urban shopping mall filled with thousands of holiday shoppers will both have a devastating impact on our country.

If you are a patrol officer, train…train…train.  You have to be proficient with your gear.  If you have the option of buying a rifle to carry on duty, save your pennies and get one.  Break out the pistol and dry fire for five minutes every day to improve your fundamentals.

Also consider getting and keeping a “go bag” or “bail out bag” in your squad.  It should have extra ammo and a trauma kit at the bare minimum.

I also advocate getting a plate carrier.  Nope, they’re not cheap.  But they can stop an AK-47 round, so tell me what that is worth to you if you are on the wrong end of that firefight?

If you are a detective or other cop stuck riding a desk, keep gear in the car.  If “shit goes sideways” and you have to run out the door to help your brothers and sisters with multiple shooters inside a hospital, you better have the gear you need already in your car.

If any members of command staff are still reading, think about all of the funerals for innocent children and all of the wives, husbands and children of dead cops you will have to visit when this little piece of hell visits your town.  Once you start feeling that icy feeling of dread in your gut, sit down and realistically evaluate your department’s training.  Are you preparing your officers to respond to a Mumbai or Beslan and win?  Probably not, but there’s still time to change that.

Look, in a Mumbai or Beslan-type attack, we will lose officers.  But, with the right training and attitude we can swiftly end the attack and save a lot of people.  At the end of the day, isn’t saving lives what we all signed up for?

Links

• Mumbai-Style Attacks: Are We Vulnerable?
• Terrorists Targeting Our Children: More Facts for Police Officers
• Terrorists Next Plan: Killing Our Children at School
• News from ILEETA 2011: Preparing for a Mumbai- or Beslan-style attack in the United States of America
• Suspects in Terror Case Wanted to Kill Jews, Officials Say
• NYPD: Queens Men Wanted to Attack Synagogues, Kill Jews in Terror Plot
• 2 men accused of buying guns, grenade, plotting to bomb NYC synagogue and kill Jews
• Bailout Bags
• Bail Out Bags – Podcast

Richard is a police officer with a medium sized, central Florida department, and previously worked for a Metro-Atlanta agency.  He has served as a field training officer, court officer, corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, watch commander, commander of a field training and evaluation program, and general pain in the butt to management-types looking to cut training hours.

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On today’s BlueSheepdog Podcast, I talk about the bail out bags:  what it is, how to pick one and what you should keep in them.  Definitely post what you use and carry in yours in the comments section below.

Links from today’s podcast:

• Maxpedition Active Shooter Bag
• 5.11 Bail Out Bag
• BLACKHAWK! Tsunami
• ITS Tactical Review of QuickClot Combat Gauze

The new MAXPEDITION Active Shooter bag makes an excellent bail out bag for the patrol officer.

The unpredictable nature of police work requires cops to carry a lot of equipment and paperwork in their cars.  You never know what kind of calls you will get on your shift, so you have to bring everything you might need.  Of course, you never know what you may need on any given call.  That’s one of the reasons a police officer’s duty belt has more gear than Batman ever had on his belt.

There are some calls that you know are going to require more than the average effort.  Calls such as barricaded subjects and active shooters may pop up unexpectedly, but most of the responding officers will have the chance to grab an extra item with them when they get on scene: the bail out bag.

What is the bail out bag?

The bail out bag is a small to medium sized bag that an officer can stock with less commonly used items that may be of great benefit on calls that fall outside the officer’s routine workload.

Think of the bail out bag as a supplementary bag of tricks that might help in an extended shooting, prolonged perimeter position, or any incident that would require immediate action without time to return to the patrol car for more gear.

For example, let’s say you were dispatched to a pair of active shooters in a high school.  When you arrive, you have your pistol with two extra magazines, a back-up gun, and a shotgun or carbine to carry into the fight.  Your shotgun probably has four rounds plus five more in a side saddle (if so equipped), while your carbine may have one extra magazine.  Sounds like a lot of firepower until you get several minutes into the battle and realize you are burning ammo faster than you could have imagined.  If you had a bail out bag, you could have extra shotgun ammo or a couple of extra carbine and pistol mags.  You could also have some first aid gear, such as a clotting agent and trauma pads in case you or your partners take rounds.

The 5.11 Bail Out Bag offers some very nice features for less than $50.

Maybe the active shooter scenario seems a little extreme.  Try this example.  A drive by shooting happens in your jurisdiction and a witness gives you a valid tag # and vehicle description.  A check of the DMV database yields the registered owner’s address with a physical description that matches your suspect.  You and other officers respond to the house and set up a perimeter.  Your position requires you to stand in the summer sun for two or three hours before the suspect finally agrees to come out.  Your bail out bag containing a bottle of water and a granola bar would help keep you refreshed, and maybe keep you from suffering from heat exhaustion.

So, what kind of bag is good for a bail out bag?  This is highly dependent on you.  You have to find something that is comfortable, works with your normal duty gear, and holds what you need it to.

5.11 makes a bag called the Bail Out Bag which is set up with pouches for six AR magazines plus other compartments.  5.11 also makes the Push Pack, which is slightly smaller than the Bail Out Bag, but may be easier to use for some people.

MAXPEDITION also makes several bags that would work well as bail out bags.  Just released is the Active Shooter bag (pictured above) that comes in models with magazine pouches on the front or with MOLLE-type webbing for a custom set up.  I also like the Jumbo Versipack, but there are smaller and larger packs available depending on your needs.

What do you carry in a bail out bag?  Excellent question, and again this depends on you and your needs.  Here is a brief list of things to consider:

• extra long gun magazines/ammo
• extra pistol magazines
• bottle of water
• snack bar (nothing that will melt in a hot car!)
• bottle of Tylenol or Advil
• lip balm
• small, back-up flashlight like the Fenix L2D or Streamlight Strion
• chalk, grease pencil, or marker for marking doors of rooms searched, etc.
• wedge to prop open doors
• paracord
• blood clotting agent, trauma pads
• 100 mph tape
• small bottle of sunscreen
• insect repellent

The fact of the matter is your bag can contain anything that might make your job easier in unusual circumstances.  You know your area, and what will work for you.  Here in Florida, I am unlikely to need any of the small chemical handwarmers.  Up in Maine or Michigan, you might want to include them (at least in the winter months).

Please chime in and add your own suggestions on what kind of bag you like, and what you carry in your bag.

Stay safe!

Now, Law Enforcement Targets is producing school shooter scenario targets.  Photographed in actual schools, these targets are full-color and near life-sized.  Five different basic targets with 28 hand overlays allows firearms instructors to create a wide variety of scenarios.

I’ve ordered from Law Enforcement Targets in the past, and I have always been pleased with their service.

Richard is a police officer with a medium sized, central Florida department, and previously worked for a Metro-Atlanta agency.  He has served as a field training officer, court officer, corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, watch commander, commander of a field training and evaluation program, and general pain in the butt to management-types looking to cut training hours.

In Omaha, Nebraska some nut-job decided to start killing innocent Christmas shoppers in the Westroads Mall. Initial reports indicate a 19 year old male carried a rifle into the the mall and began shooting shoppers and clerks. The incident ended only when the gunman turned his rifle on himself. In other words, the carnage would have continued, and dozens more would be dead, if he hadn’t committed suicide.

I assume Omaha PD responded with all due haste and implemented their active shooter plan. Even so, they arrived too late to stop the killing. As we saw in the Trolley Square shooting, one off-duty cop with one gun was able to stop the killing long enough for the on-duty officers to arrive on scene and dispatch the murderer.

There is no telling if an off-duty officer was in the area, or if they were in a position to respond. But if you are there, and you have no way to deal with the threat, you are just another casualty. You MUST be an active participant in your own survival.

The next shooter may not kill himself. The next shooter may be killing people where your family is shopping, or where your children are in school. Pray for the best, but be ready to do what you must.

Stay Safe!

19-year-old man kills eight and himself at Westroads Mall

A man dressed in camouflage and armed with a rifle opened fire among holiday shoppers in an Omaha department store Wednesday, killing eight people, wounding at least five others and sending hundreds into terrified panic.

The shooter – identified as Robert A. Hawkins, 19 – also died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in what is believed to be the deadliest single shooting incident in the state’s history.

Hawkins was a student at Papillion- La Vista High School. He withdrew in March 2006, a district spokeswoman said.

Witnesses described horrific scenes at the Westroads Von Maur shortly before 2 p.m. in which the gunman opened fire at customers and workers in the third-floor customer service department. Others were shot on the second floor as they were looking up an escalator toward the chaos.

The shooter apparently took a gun to himself before officers reached him.

“The shots wouldn’t stop,” said Von Maur shopper Carol Padon, who described hearing 15 to 25 shots before fleeing the store.

Dozens of Omaha police, Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies, FBI agents sealed off and closed the mall, and rescue personnel were observed carrying multiple gurneys into the store. Police have not identified any of the victims.

The five wounded were being treated at the Creighton University and University of Nebraska medical centers, two of them in critical condition.

Shoppers leaving the mall near Von Maur were instructed to walk out with their hands over their heads, many of them hysterical and crying. Most of them were women.

Others anxiously waited outside the store. One woman said she was awaiting word of whether her mother was safe.

The shooter was said to be an 18- to 20-year-old white male with a military-style hair cut carrying a rifle, wearing a camouflage vest and wearing a black backpack. He was found dead in the customer service area of the store.

“The shooter is deceased and it appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” said Sgt. Teresa Negron, a police spokeswoman.

Police and rescue personnel set up a meeting point at a nearby hotel to meet with family members of the victims.

Von Maur released a statement that said, “We are deeply saddened by the horrific shooting at our Omaha store this afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this tragic event as well as their families. We are cooperating fully with the Omaha and Nebraska state police departments.”

Roxanne Philip found herself at center of the initial shooting in her job at the customer service desk. When she heard gunshots, it was so close it sounded like it was right next to her. She said she took cover and was scared “because I thought I would be next.”

She said she never saw the shooter, but as she left the store she saw a woman on the other side of the customer service counter had been shot and appeared to be dead. She also believed her boss had been shot because she heard him moaning.

Chuck Wright said a co-worker who also worked in customer service described hearing the shooting break out and people running. The co-worker saw what appeared to be a customer who had been shot and heard a co-worker in customer service yelling for help.

Someone yelled, “Hold on, Fred, we’ll get to you.”

Another Wright co-worker described standing on the second floor near the escalator and looking up toward the commotion. She then saw a man with a gun lean over a rail from the third floor. He then shot in the head a man standing right next to her.

Wright said employees and customers were hiding wherever they could, in storerooms and other rooms off the shopping floor.

He was hiding in a storeroom with a co-worker when a police officer came up the escalator telling them to come out with their hands up. They ran toward the officers and were ushered out of the store.

A Von Maur employee who had left the store said one customer was shot while going down the escalator.

Padon said she was shopping on the second floor of the store in the men’s wear department when she heard what sounded like 15 to 25 shots. As she hid in a back room, Padon said, “I was so busy praying that it’s really hard to tell the details.”

She said police later arrived and escorted her from the store. As she was leaving, she said, she saw a man in his 40s on the floor with a serious gunshot wound. He did not appear to be breathing, she said.

Marvelene Sturgeon of Council Bluffs said she and her daughter were getting ready to leave the mall through Von Maur when the scene turned chaotic.

“People started running out of the door yelling, ‘They’re shooting, they have guns,’ and we heard a lot of shots,” the 73-year-old said.

Her daughter helped her run and they fled into the nearby J.C. Penney store. They were first told to exit the store, then they were told to run back in. The entrance from the mall into J.C. Penney was locked, and finally they were told to leave. A Von Maur employee helped them across the street to the offices of AAA.

The mall is closed and will not reopen until at least Friday.

Police said the call of an active shooting at the mall first came in at 1:42 p.m., and it took six minutes for the first officer to arrive at the scene. Police located a victim soon after entering the store.

At 2:12 p.m., officers located the apparent shooter dead from a gunshot wound.

The eight deaths appeared to make the shooting the deadliest in Nebraska history. In October 1975, Erwin Charles Simants shot and killed six members of a family in Sutherland. Charles Starkweather in 1958 killed nine Nebraskans in several separate incidents, and also killed a 10th victim before his capture in Wyoming.

I searched Disney’s web site looking for clarification on this policy, but was unable to locate anything. On non-Disney websites, I have seen reports that off-duty police officers were asked to either lock up their weapon, or to leave the property. I did have one of their security guards confirm that even cops aren’t allowed to carry off-duty at Disney World.

I requested information from Disney World about police officers carrying firearms, but so far my request has been ignored.

Disney World is a huge, juicy target for terrorists and nut-jobs alike. When thousands of people are gathered in one spot, one crazed individual can kill, wound, and maim a lot of innocents by detonating a bomb, or by firing a gun randomly. Islamic terrorists have stated the intention to kill as many of our children as they can. Killing children at Disney World would shake Americans to the core. So, if Disney World is telling me I can’t discreetly carry the means to defend my family, they better have that place on lock down.

During a recent trip to Disney World, I made several observations about their security measures. First, I observed a lot of security guards near the entrances to the different parks. The guards were not armed, and did not appear to be any higher a caliber than what we have come to expect out of contract security companies: many were old, out of shape, or both. I observed very few guards beyond the gate areas.

Second, I observed very few undercover, or plain clothed, security or police officers. No doubt I would not see all of them, but I still spotted very few.

Lastly, at the gates to the parks, the guards check your bags. Depending on who was doing the checking, my bag was either not searched or only a cursory check was done. Every day I walked in, I could have toted several pounds of C-4 in the bag that was “checked.” At no point was I ever checked, nor was any stroller or wheelchair that came through the lines with me. Anyone could carry multiple handguns on themselves, and bombs or long guns in their baggage or strollers.

I can only assume that Disney World uses state-of-the-art electronic surveillance equipment, and they have deputies and/or armed security hidden behind the doors labeled “Cast Members Only.” However, based on my observations, anyone can carry firearms and bombs into the Magic Kingdom.

I suggest that anytime you are off-duty, you need to be armed. I also suggest that Disney World is no exception. I carried every day I was there, and at no point did they ever detect it.

Stay Safe!

note: If you have had any experiences with carrying off-duty at Disney World, please e-mail me. Also, if you represent Disney World and would like to clarify your policy, please e-mail me.

Many police departments have trained in, or at least familiarized their officers with, the schools in their jurisdictions. This is invaluable experience; the first time you set foot inside the school better not be when bullets are flying.

Even though schools generally cooperate with law enforcement by allowing them access for training, are we really working with the schools to achieve the best possible response to the unthinkable act of someone killing our children? Locked doors are one example of what we may be missing if we are not working closely together with the schools.

The first thing a school does if trouble erupts is to go into “lockdown.” Not terribly different from a lockdown at a jail, students are hustled into their classrooms, and the doors are locked. The idea is to isolate the children from the problem. In this case, the active shooter.

There are two problems with the lockdown. First, it hampers the ability of the victims to escape if trouble finds them anyway. Secondly, a lockdown hampers the ability of law enforcement to respond to the incident. I won’t argue the pros and cons of isolating innocents in a locked classroom, which creates the first problem.

The second issue resulting from a lockdown is something that many officers have not trained for. If three officers show up, form a contact team, but can’t get in through a locked door, what good are they? And before you say “break out a window and crawl through,” how many of your schools use wire-reinforced glass to prevent someone from doing just that?

Patrol officers need to have some tools available to make entry through locked doors: both exterior and interior. Additionally, the officers need to know how to use them. A Halligan tool is great, but if you don’t know how to use it, what good is it?

Lastly, officers engaged in active shooter scenarios need to encounter locked doors, so they can train how to work them. Because, God forbid, if they need to go after an active shooter in real life, they will encounter some locked doors.

Stay safe!

Most active shooter training has focused on school shooting scenarios, but the truth is they can happen anywhere. In 1999, Mark Barton entered two office buildings in Atlanta, killed nine people, and injured 12 more. The courthouse in Tyler County, TX was the scene of an active shooter in 2005. In February 2007, a shooter’s rampage at Trolley Square mall in Salt Lake City was held to only five dead, due to the bravery of off-duty Ogden Police Officer Kenneth Hammond and the responding Salt Lake City police officers. These are just a few examples, but many more exist.

One motivated person armed with common hunting rifles, shotguns, or handguns can cause a great deal of damage in a target-rich envrionment like a shopping mall or office park. Imagine what two or more people could do in one mall. Or, how about this nightmare scenario: three teams of two hit multiple locations at one time. According to a recent FBI notice, that is what al-Qa’ida has been planning to do.

A November 8, 2007 report by ABC stated the FBI had received information that al-Qa’ida has planned to attack shopping malls in Los Angeles and Chicago this Christmas season. Lets be honest: there is nothing special about these locations. Attacks could happen in Houston, Orlando, Boston, Kansas City, or your town.

Talk to the other officers on your shift. The old saying still rings true: hope for the best, but train for the worst.

Stay safe!

Additional information:

• Domestic Terrorism – The Threat is Real
• Mumbai-Style Attack in the United States
• Terrorists Attack US Schools
• Terrorists Targeting Children

Don’t believe me? Read Terror at Beslan: A Russian Tragedy with Lessons for America’s Schools.

In 2004, terrorists took over a Russian school for three days. While the authorities attempted to negotiate, the terrorists forced the captive men and boys into slave labor to fortify the school against the inevitable attack. As the hostages completed their work, they would be executed.

Meanwhile, the women and girls were repeatedly raped and then killed.

When the counter-attack on the school began, the terrorists began wildly killing the children. Police and SWAT teams encountered barricades and booby traps, hindering their progress. It was a blood bath.

172 children were murdered.

In all, 338 people were killed, and some 700 were wounded.  The number I always keep coming back to, though, is the 172 children who were murdered.

Don’t think it can happen here? You better think again.

There are terrorists training right now to do even worse in the US of A. There is credible intel that indicates some of them have already made there way into the county (across our southern border, in case anyone in Washington is listening.) They are implementing the lessons they learned during the attack on the Russian school.

Al-Qaeda has publicly stated they will kill 2 million American children.  Operations in Afghanistan have recovered videotapes of terrorists training to overrun schools.  These tapes include the terrorists giving orders in English and killing children.

Here is what an attack may look like in this country:

The terrorists will strike multiple schools at the same time, so law enforcement and military resources are unable to focus on a single event. Terrorists have already begun scouting targets, and will continue to do so right up to the events. Terrorists are seeking the best sites that combine:

• states without citizen CCW permits
• states without a gun/hunting tradition
• jurisdictions that do not issue rifles to their officers
• rural or other geographically isolated areas to slow police response
• schools without SROs

Expect to encounter car bombs, or similar IEDs, in the parking lots or other areas that responders may set up in. We saw the same thing in Atlanta (although a much smaller scale) when Eric Rudolph set up secondary devices to hit public safety officials as they responded to the initial bombs.

Killing School Resource Officers will, of course, be part of the initial goals. In our “gun free zones,” SROs are likely to be the only initial threat to the terrorists.

Negotiating will only give the terrorists more time to fortify their position, and kill more children.

The terrorists have learned their lessons, and are advancing in their plans. What have we learned?

There are a lot of things that departments can do to increase our ability to detect and react to these threats. The sad truth is, few, if any, local governments will adequately prepare for these dangers. We will lose our children, and many good cops will die trying to save them. I believe any of us would willingly give our own lives to protect innocent children. What angers me is that our political leaders refuse to allow us the training and tools to save as many as we can.